Advocacy groups urge Haiti to pursue Duvalier case

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - International advocacy groups are urging Haiti not to drop a rights abuse case against former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier.

Separate statements by Amnesty International and the Open Society Justice Initiative say it's imperative that the former ruler known as "Baby Doc" be prosecuted for human rights abuses allegedly committed while he was in office.

Duvalier abruptly returned to his native Haiti in 2011 following 25 years in exile in France. Haitian authorities opened an investigation into allegations of human rights abuses and other crimes associated with his 15-year rule, but a judge recommended that Duvalier instead be indicted for financial crimes.

Victims of the purported crimes appealed the decision, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Port-au-Prince.